It’s hot. The weather’s fantastic. People are kicking into holiday mode and they’re thinking about beer. A beer at a BBQ, a beer with your picnic, a beer on the beach, or a beer in the beer garden – they’re all pretty high on the agenda as soon as the thermometer nudges 30C. In fact, walking through the City this lunchtime and peering through the windows, it was clear that most of London’s office workers would give their eye teeth to up sticks and grab a beer somewhere sunny.

But when they finally get out into the sunshine and order their pint, do they really know how much is on offer? Probably not. Before I joined the industry, having been a somewhat casual beer drinker, I had little knowledge of the range on offer. What was mild? What was the difference between IPA and Pale Ale? Etc. I’m starting to get the hang of it, but there is a bigger task at hand – ensuring that Joe/Joanna Bloggs has the information he/she needs to start reaping the rewards of a good beer education. We want everyone to be confident enough to enjoy the variety of beers on offer.

With the launch of the BBPA’s new Beer Genie site, there is now no excuse for anyone not to know their pale ale from their porter... The extensive ‘facts’ section is the place to start, and also contains some new snippets for even the most wizened connoisseur. It’s available to view here. In other news, the site is now mobile and has had a bit of a facelift. We hope this new format will help engage people with this treasure trove of great information!

So, given the sun, there are a few things the Beer Genie can be of help with:

Planning a BBQ? Find out which beers are the best match for burgers, ribs, sausages or fish and surprise your friends with something a little different...

Or perhaps you want a new marinade - have a look over the beery options we’ve put together here and also our Beer Can Chicken recipe. You could also head to the video section and let celebrity chef, Richard Fox, show you the ropes – Episode 8 is particularly BBQ related, although the others are worth a watch...